A former judge in New Mexico and his wife were arrested earlier this week for allegedly trying to hide evidence of an illegal alien gangbanger.
DOJ prosecutors say former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano, 68, and his wife, Nancy Cano, 67, were arrested Thursday after federal agents raided their home in Las Cruces. The two are accused of harboring illegal immigrant and Tren de Aragua member Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, along with other illegal immigrants. The two also allegedly tried to hide incriminating images and videos of Ortega-Lopez.
The Department of Homeland Security was notified about Ortega-Lopez after a tipster said he was in the U.S. illegally and had guns. He initially entered the country Dec. 15, 2023, near Eagle Pass, Texas.
Social media activity from Ortega-Lopez suggested ties with the Venezuelan gang. Investigators also found multiple images and videos on social media showing him with other illegal immigrants handling guns.
Earlier this month, Nancy Cano and Ortega-Lopez discussed deleting his Facebook account, which contained his gang affiliations and images with guns. Then, Joel Cano admitted to smashing a device that contained incriminating photos and videos of Ortega-Lopez with guns just last week.
Joel and Nancy Cano now face up to 15 years in prison.